Steam & Excursion > SP's GS3's looking for a home

SP had a fair sized fleet of GS3's working the Salt lake division in both freight and passenger service, but as the PA's and the F's began arriving, the GS's were bumped to the western division and even comute service....With the bad water on the division, SP dieselized with a vengenge, sending 2-10-2's to texas and some to the San joaqnuin division...As more diesels arrived, many locomotives that were in good running shape went to the scrapper as SP had too many, only in the last years of steam they faced a short term shartage of working power....In this shot, its Dec. 7 1954 and 4429 is taking her time rolling thru martinez as she has a big set out at Port costa....If there was no set out, this GS would be kicking up a storm coming out of martinez...4429 had only two more months of service before being vacated.....

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The #4429, the last of her series of 14 GS-3s, could produce 5,000 hp and was mighty powerful. She still compares well with todays's most modern diesel electric but unfortunately required far more maintenance and repair. Here at age 17 she looks even better than when she was delivered in shiny streamlined Daylight colors in my opinion. 

Thank you for the wonderful look back.

"taking her time...".  She's probably not moving at all with that member of the crew hanging onto the ladder to the cab.

Or they could be doing 10-15 and it's the head brakeman dropping off, although usually it would happen on the other side.

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What is going on here is the 4429 will run thru Ozol siding and back on the main for some reason, the breakman is about to get off and thru the switch..The siding is between the east and the west bound rails and can be entered on either end on both lines.....this siding was used a lot during the days of stesam sandf later diesel and has become part of ozol yard now that replaced Port costa...

When was Ozol Yard built to replace Port Costa Yard?

TIA,

Rob L.